Joshua 24:19 (YLT)

Passage

And Joshua saith unto the people, `Ye are not able to serve Jehovah, for a God most holy He <FI>is<Fi> ; a zealous God He <FI>is<Fi> ; He doth not bear with your transgression and with your sins.

Nearby Context

Joshua 24:17 for Jehovah our God <FI>is<Fi> He who is bringing us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, out of a house of servants, and who hath done before our eyes these great signs, and doth keep us in all the way in which we have gone, and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed;

Joshua 24:18 and Jehovah casteth out the whole of the peoples, even the Amorite inhabiting the land, from our presence; we also do serve Jehovah, for He <FI>is<Fi> our God.'

Joshua 24:19 And Joshua saith unto the people, `Ye are not able to serve Jehovah, for a God most holy He <FI>is<Fi> ; a zealous God He <FI>is<Fi> ; He doth not bear with your transgression and with your sins.

Joshua 24:20 When ye forsake Jehovah, and have served gods of a stranger, then He hath turned back and done evil to you, and consumed you, after that He hath done good to you.'

Joshua 24:21 And the people saith unto Joshua, `No, but Jehovah we do serve.'

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "joshua", "saith", "people", "able", "serve", "jehovah", "most", and "holy". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "joshua" and "saith", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "and Jehovah casteth out the whole of..." into verse 20's "When ye forsake Jehovah and have served...", so "joshua" and "saith" belong inside that flow. In Joshua context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "joshua" and "saith" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.